Page 11 - InnoRenew CoE International Conference 2024

Construction and Furnishing Materials as Factors in

Neighbor Noise and Dwelling Satisfaction:
Evidence from Slovenian Survey Data

1,2
12
Ana Slavec *, Nežka Sajinčič and Lea Primožič 1
1 InnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, Izola, 6310 Izola, Slovenia, ana.slavec@innorenew.eu, nezka.sajincic@innorenew.eu, lea.primozic@innorenew.eu
2 University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, Glagoljaška 8. 6000 Koper Slovenia
* Corresponding author

Noise pollution negatively impacts human happiness, health and well-being, as shown by several observational
studies (Guite et al., 2006, Maschke & Niemann 2007, Weinhold 2013). Moreover, sensor data reveals that
human footsteps, movement of furniture, and dropping small items are major sources of noise in residential
buildings (Park et al., 2017). The quality of sound insulation varies across different building types and material
choice plays a crucial role in creating comfortable soundscapes. It is therefore important to understand the
effect of various furnishing and construction materials on resident satisfaction to guide more informed design
practices and enhance the well-being of communities.

In 2023, we conducted an online survey about residential renovation and furnishing with 1,009 respondents in
Slovenia, which included a set of questions on dwelling satisfaction. Consistent with previous research, results
indicate that neighbor noise is one of the least satisfying aspects for residents. In this contribution, we correlate
various satisfaction measures with data on the presence of different construction and furnishing materials. We
discuss the limitations of this observational approach and propose more experimental methodologies to confirm

the causal relationship between building properties and resident well-being.

Keywords: acoustics, human wellbeing, building materials, noise, online survey

Acknowledgment: The authors acknowledge receiving funding from the Slovenian Research Agency for the
project Using questionnaires to measure attitudes and behaviors of building users [Z5-1879] and from the
European Cooperation in Science and Technology for the InnoRenew project [grant agreement #739574] under
the H2020 Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation Horizon2020 Widespread-Teaming program.

REFERENCES

Guite, H. F., Clark, C., & Ackrill, G. (2006). The impact of the physical and urban environment on mental well-
being. Public health, 120(12), 1117-1126.

Maschke, C., & Niemann, H. (2007). Health effects of annoyance induced by neighbour noise. Noise Control
Engineering Journal, 55(3), 348-356.

Park, S. H., & Lee, P. J. (2017). Effects of floor impact noise on psychophysiological responses. Building and
Environment, 116, 173-181.

Weinhold, D. (2013). The happiness-reducing costs of noise pollution. Journal of regional science, 53(2), 292-
303.

11–12 SEPTEMBER 2024 I IZOLA, SLOVENIA 11